houses being sold without advertising

[libertytrainers]

two houses on my street have recently sold with no advertising whatsoever. is this normal? they did go way over the price they are worth but it seems weird

I think it's quite common. Last house we sold went to someone the agent had lined up, waiting for it to go on the market.

Oh, and we refused a board, so the neighbours only knew we were moving when the removal van turned up.

quite normal, and usually it's done by the vendors who want to avoid the whole public viewing thing and having to clean the house all the time. Especially of the house is cluttered and hard to photograph - or very dated. They just ask the EAs to show to their best candidates who are ready and waiting to buy. Much easier.
Also some do it for privacy, don't want anyone knowing what they are doing for whatever reason.

both houses were rented

We keep getting letters from local EAs asking us if we're going on the market soon as they have buyers interested in our type of house (pretty, in need of shedloads of work listed, blah blah).

Both the local EAs I know socially have said they'd be able to sell our place at asking price to someone off their list without bothering to advertise, although they've also both admitted they'd get more for it if it went to a bidding war. I find it refreshing that they'll admit it (and that's one of the reasons they're currently friends rather than acquaintances).

We've just had an offer accepted on a place which hadn't been publicly advertised - they want a very quick sale so were only showing cash buyers or people who had exchanged.

Where are you? I got several offers on my place in London within 48 hours of instructing the agent and before it even went on the internet, and the buyer who made the highest offer (well over asking) stipulated that it should not appear on any websites. That is the madness of London at the mo.

liberty, well if rented maybe they sold to a BuyToLet buyer known to them.

Ours sold in a day before the board had gone up, so we said don't put one up please. The neighbors found out when we told them what happened.